What is the difference between extremist and fundamentalist

In particular — though by no means exclusively — it is Islamic extremism and allied terrorist activities which are linked in our day to the idea of fundamentalism. While there have been many studies undertaken on so-called Islamic fundamentalism, the fact remains that it and, indeed, religious fundamentalism, in general are much misunderstood.

In my view it is imperative to attempt to understand critically any potential — let alone real — relationship between fundamentalism and terrorism.

It is, I suggest, the contemporary religious challenge, without equal. How can we explain and understand the difference between the religious fundamentalist who, in essence, simply holds an absolute truth- and value-perspective, on the one hand, and the so-called fundamentalist who engages in the extremist and violent behaviours of terrorism, on the other?

Type Conference Contribution. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3. Citizens worldwide are becoming all too familiar with the accelerated frequency of terrorist attacks in the 21 st century, particularly with those involving a religious underpinning.

Why, though, have religiously-affiliated acts of terrorism become such a common occurrence? By historically defining terrorism and fundamentalism and then placing them within the context of current religio-political and socio-political discourse, one can observe the shift from nationalism into terrorism and therefore understanding the innate interconnectedness of fundamentalism and terrorism as a whole.

Keywords: religious fundamentalism, terrorism, religious terrorists, modern terrorism, religio-political discourse, socio-political discourse. T hroughout the beginning of the 21 st century, it is no surprise that terrorism has come to be a major concern worldwide. Due to the frequency and magnitude of violence, many scholars have and are trying to determine the sudden surge in activity. Since the Cold War has ended, there seems to be one driving factor behind the atrocities, and focus has shifted from nationalism to religious fundamentalism as the cause of terrorist acts.

From the World Trade Center bombings in and their eventual destruction on September 11th, , suicide attacks in Israel in Palestine, nerve gas in the Tokyo subway, and assassinations in India, Israel, and Algeria, religion has come to the forefront as motivation for the largest terrorist organizations in the modern world Juergensmeyer, In order to examine this phenomenon, one main question must be answered: How has religious fundamentalism accelerated terrorism in the modern world?

To establish a framework to respond, one must first examine the definitions of fundamentalism and terrorism, as well as their historical ties. In addition, understanding the dynamics between religion, politics, and society become important to place the nature of the violence into the correct context. Finally, one must determine the shift from nationalistic violence to fundamentalism, and use this to explain how fundamentalism has become the root of modern terroristic acts.

To define terrorism is akin to attempting to define any human experience, if only in the fact that terrorism defines itself to each person differently. If a hard and fast definition must be constructed, it should be simple and open to interpretation. We know the following: terrorist acts are violent or at least inherently dangerous , typically involve more than one target, and are perpetrated to initiate change whether societal, political, religious, or ideological.

Therefore, one may choose to define an incident as an act of terrorism if the violence or the threat of violence was used against more than one person in order to instigate change on a societal, political, religious, or ideological level. Fundamentalism, however, is much easier to define. Though originally used to describe certain sects of Christianity, this strict adherence to theoretical doctrine has stretched to include all major world religions.

Whether through the original political split inside of Islam or the eventual Shiite-Sunni split that has led to numerous conflicts, Islam has been in almost constant turmoil since its appearance, with fundamentalism and radicalization inside of its doctrine becoming a mitigating factor in most of the terrorist acts completed within the 21 st century White, With these definitions in mind, examining the historical background of both terrorism and fundamentalism will provide a context in which to place the influence of religious terrorism on politics and society.

Eventually, nationalism became the main motivation behind acts of terrorism; however, a clear shift had already begun as religion came to the forefront of terroristic reasoning. As terrorist ideologies have become more religious, terroristic violence has become more indiscriminate and targets appear to be more geographically dispersed.

Considering the shift that occurred, religious fundamentalism then came to been seen as an aggressive politicization of religion for the pursuit of nonreligious ends, being only a superficial form of terrorism or extremism; this definition fits more clearly with what fundamentalism has become in the late 20 th and early 21st centuries Tibi, When examining historical ties between terrorism and fundamentalism, one can look at the developed ideological and organizational requirements of modern fundamentalism from Emerson and Hartman , which closely resemble the process of radicalization and indoctrination of an individual into a terrorist organization described by White White describes the process of radicalization as involving an alienated young man, who upon meeting other alienated young men forms a group.

From there, the group gravitates towards religion, and attempt to outdo each other in their zeal for the cause. The religion then begins to be interpreted in militant terms- while most groups stop at this point, some continue development leading to a militant group that encounters a terrorist contact, and join the terrorists through a group decision White, Keeping in mind these ties of organization, the religio-political and socio-political discourses regarding fundamentalism and terrorism can now be examined.

Religio-Political and Socio-Political Discourse. First, one must note that while most think of Islam and politics as synonymous, terrorist attacks are driven by Islamic extremists and political Islam stands separate from that extremism, though they are just as disillusioned by with the Western World Ayoob, Specifically focusing on al Qaeda, some question the idea of the organization being fully religious, and instead define it as a violent political organization that attempts to hide behind Islam; while the doctrine of Islam is usually described as peaceful and tolerant by religious scholars, the basic mission of al Qaeda is to create a popular uprising that will destroy Western influence and reestablish the caliphate system Hart, , in White, After declaring war on the United States in , bin Laden had his religious council issue two religious fatwas in in order to validate his opposition of the Western world; since that time, al Qaeda has completed many terrorist attacks on the world stage, though its capabilities to do so have been slightly diminished Sageman, , in White, ; White, Additionally, though this argument is focused on rise of religious fundamentalism and its acceleration of terrorism, the possibility exists that religion might not be the primary cause of this acceleration.

In addition, economic and social tensions experienced by large numbers of people were not religious, and instead were issues of social identity and participation; however, these secular ideological expressions of rebellion were replaced by ideological formations that are religious Juergensmeyer, This replacement becomes evident through the shift from nationalism as the underpinnings of terrorism to religion as seen in modern times.

From Nationalism to Fundamentalism. This works to support the notion that nationalism has been replaced as the underpinnings of terrorism in recent times. A possible cause, at least in the context of Islamic fundamentalism, could be that religious authority can provide a ready-made replacement for secular authority, so the attempt becomes to challenge the legitimacy of the secular authority and gain support on the basis of religion Juergensmeyer, This religiously motivated political shift works to further the goals of the terrorist extremists.

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Turn off more accessible mode. In this report, she focuses on the specific impact of these ideologies on the cultural rights of women. Related events and productions Keynote address by the Special Rapporteur in the webinar Les combats des femmes contre les obscurantismes : Instruments et actions.

Organized by Regards de Femmes, online, 28 November